In our latest newsletter, we are highlighting the outstanding performance of Jonathan Bolbach and Mark LaBell, winners of SSOE’s Founder’s Award. Their accomplishment — developing the AutoNavis software application — met two of the award’s key criteria: delivering exceptional value to clients by saving them time, trouble, and money and implementing an innovation that leads to improved processes and quality. Read more
Evan Baker, Data / Fire / Security (DFS) Manager and Senior Associate at SSOE Group, was recently featured in this Food Engineering magazine article. Addressing physical violence in the workplace is a growing priority for all, including food manufacturers, as workplace disasters continue to occur. This article discusses how a building’s design can incorporate many features to detect and keep out threatening people, as well as technology to analyze surveillance footage—freeing up security guards to focus on problem-solving and investigation. Read more
TROY, Michigan, February 22, 2021 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), a global project delivery firm for architecture, engineering, and construction management, is proud to announce that they provided architectural and engineering services on the recently completed Beaumont Health System Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) in Troy, Michigan. Read more
TOLEDO, Ohio, December 15, 2020 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), a global project delivery firm for architecture, engineering, and construction management, is proud to announce that their Owens Community College Dana Advanced Manufacturing Training Center project has been awarded the 2020 Annual Excellence in Workforce Development by the Ohio Economic Development Associations (OEDA). This award recognizes unique approaches to any aspect of workforce development and acknowledges an organization that has developed innovative practices and programs. Read more
Evan Baker, Data / Fire / Security (DFS) Manager at SSOE Group, was recently featured in this Food Engineering Magazine article. Cybersecurity is a growing priority for food manufacturers as network connectivity within facilities increases. The boost in information flow enhances a facility’s vulnerability to an attack—-cyber or physical—-that can result in stolen intellectual property, compromised trade secrets, a damaged reputation, and more. To mitigate exposure to security threats, the article offers a number of suggestions, including developing a comprehensive security plan with company-wide buy-in. Read more
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama, October 2, 2020 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), a global project delivery firm for architecture, engineering, and construction management, is proud to announce that one of their projects has recently been recognized as a Birmingham Business Journal (BBJ) Award recipient. The Children’s Hospital of Alabama’s Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit Expansion project won the BBJ’s Building Birmingham 2020 Award. Read more
Jim Lewis, Electrical Controls Department Manager and Principal at SSOE, recently authored this informative article in Area Development Magazine advising readers to take a business-driven approach to utility projects. Whether your project is driven by production capacity, energy efficiency, regulatory requirements, or environmental sustainability, the ultimate objective is to add value to the business. Jim shares examples showing how a utility challenge can be turned into a business advantage. Read more
Eric Wagner, NICET, Data / Fire / Security (DFS) Designer, was featured in a Security Systems News Q&A session on his role, responsibilities, and background. Trained in Six Sigma with nearly 25 years of DFS experience, Wagner shares some of the emerging technologies being used today in video surveillance and mass notification systems. Read more
With few exceptions, every medical and financial institution, governmental body, multi-location company, and educational facility of a substantial size considers data one of its most valuable assets. By extension, data centers, the places that house an organization’s high-speed, high-demand computers and communications equipment, top the list of mission critical spaces. The consequences of lost or damaged data or interruption of services can be catastrophic.
Because of the absolute mechanical, electrical, and structural requirements of data centers, planning and designing them has become a specialty within the A/E industry – and one at which SSOE excels. The layout of the environment itself is subject to specific ways that servers can be racked, cabling can be run, and other equipment can be stored. To avoid the crisis of a malfunction, data centers must be highly controlled in terms of humidity, temperature, electrical power, flooding, fire, and physical security.
SSOE’s Ryan Cousino, Project Manager with over 10 years of healthcare project experience, was recently published on the topic of life safety compliance—specifically a section of the Joint Commission’s survey assessing Life Safety Code NFPA 101 compliance. He recommends seeking assistance from a qualified architecture / engineering firm such as SSOE to prepare for this, guaranteeing a trouble-free outcome. Read more
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama, May 20, 2020 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), a global project delivery firm for architecture, engineering, and construction management, is proud to announce that one of their projects has recently been recognized as a 2020 Excellence in Design Award Winner by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Alabama. The Children’s Hospital of Alabama Lee Building and 4th Avenue Parking Deck won an AIA Alabama Excellence in Design Honor Award. Read more
Evan Baker, Data / Fire / Security (DFS) Manager at SSOE with over 10 years of experience, recently authored this illustrative article detailing best practices for designing an effective hospital mass notification system (MNS). Today’s technology allows for customized life-safety messages to be communicated in real time in various ways, with many features varying by vendor. Evan writes that a successful MNS design starts with calculated planning and the involvement of many parties—including the building’s architect, fire protection engineer, hospital personnel, insurance provider, and code officials—to help determine priority MNS features. Read more
John Delaney and Mark Smith, Data / Fire / Security Designers at SSOE, were published in Health Facilities Management Magazine on the topic of infrastructure system convergence and how it can save healthcare facilities both time and money. This comprehensive article discusses the ways merging life safety and security systems have proven beneficial, making more information available faster to both healthcare facility employees and first responders. Whether a daily task or an emergency situation, consolidating these auxiliary systems offers several process improvements, including better communication between medical and security staff and quicker transmission of critical, high-quality information, while still maintaining HIPAA compliance. Read more
John Gill, PE, PMP, LEED AP, SSOE’s Director of VDC, was recently published in Engineering News-Record (ENR) discussing the topic of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC). Gill has over 20 years of industry experience and was responsible for the implementation of SSOE’s VDC program. He writes on the many strengths the VDC framework has to offer our industry, and offers some tips for implementing a solid foundation on your next project. Read more
Evan Baker, Section Manager for SSOE’s multi-disciplined Data / Fire / Security Systems group, was recently published in Wireless Design & Development Magazine. Baker offers over ten years of wireless network and data communication expertise in this perceptive article on in-building infrastructures referred to as distributed antenna systems, or DAS. Although these systems offer improved reliability, they can be a challenge to map out and enable — which is why hiring right is so important. Baker shares his guidelines for choosing the right DAS contractor and “winning in the world of DAS.” Read more
Evan Baker of SSOE Group was recently published in Data Center Journal. Baker, who currently manages the data / fire / security systems group at SSOE and brings over a decade of data center experience to the table, offers his data center reliability know-how in his article “Case Study: Out-of-the-Box Reliability.” Baker highlights three projects in three different market sectors for which SSOE provided data center design and connectivity services. One thing that was static among the differing projects was cost reduction as a result of improved reliability and functionality achieved by variation in data connectivity via integrated voice-data networks and new technologies. Read more
Third party assessments can provide crucial insights.
Peter Wilmarth, RA, an architect at SSOE Group with over 35 years of experience, offers his thoughts as to how those of us in the chemical industry can gain insight from the West Fertilizer plant explosion in his recent Chemical Processing Magazine publication. The tragic blast occurred in 2013 in West, Texas — killing 15 people and injuring over 160 — and elevated the issue of safety in relation to hazardous industrial processes.
Food Engineering Magazine’s May 2014 issue features an article on the potential risks in the food industry for tampering and how to prepare / prevent incidents from occurring. Within, security experts from SSOE and two other corporations provide insight on the most effective tools to ensure food manufacturers are always prepared and equipped with the proper security measures for their facility.
The worlds of higher education and healthcare are approaching a fundamental change via wireless communication. The advent of Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) is facilitating a new, interconnected campus that will allow students and faculty, patients and medical professionals, first responders as well as facility managers, greater ability to monitor and control the environments where they live, study, work, and heal. Data / Fire / Security Specialist, Jim Otte, NICET IV, discusses the important role DAS plays in facilitating changes in higher education and healthcare environments in this article featured in Wireless Design and Development Magazine.
Building Design + Construction Magazine’s January 2014 issue features a survey of Building Team representatives that assesses current trends toward increased school safety measures as a result of the Sandy Hook tragedy. Lance Mushung, AIA, NCARB, Architect at SSOE, comments on best practices for upgrading school security systems.
TOLEDO, Ohio, January 8, 2019 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), a global project delivery firm for architecture, engineering, and construction management, was recently recognized, along with their project team members HKS Architects, Rudolph Libbe Group, GEM Inc., Mannik & Smith Group, and Accel Fire Systems, with a “Best Projects” Award from Engineering-News Record (ENR) Midwest and Honorable Mention from Building Design + Construction’s (BD+C) 2018 Reconstruction Award for the ProMedica Headquarters – Steam Plant Project located in downtown Toledo, Ohio. ProMedica Health System is a locally owned non-profit healthcare organization serving Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. Read more
Data / Fire / Security System Specialist, Jim Otte and Director of Federal Programs, Mike Duffey were recently featured on SecurityInfoWatch.com. Within, Otte and Duffey discuss how partnering with a knowledgeable A/E firm can assist military facility engineers in making security and technology upgrade decisions that will benefit them in the present and future. Several cases of innovative and successful implementation are explored within.
CHICAGO, Illinois October 09, 2018 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), a global project delivery firm for architecture, engineering, and construction management, is proud to announce it has been named one of Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s 2018 MEP Giants. The MEP Giants program ranks the top 100 mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP), and fire protection engineering firms in the United States based on total MEP design revenue. SSOE ranked 45th this year, holding steady at the same spot as their 2017 ranking. In 2016, SSOE jumped 37 spots. Read more
SSOE’s Jim Otte, Data/Fire/Security Specialist, is featured in Medical Construction & Design magazine’s May-June 2012 issue focused on patient safety. In this article, Jim focuses on currently available as well as future, emerging technologies that lend a hand in ensuring a higher level of patient safety Read more
NASHVILLE, Tennessee, May 10, 2017 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), a global project delivery firm for architecture, engineering, and construction management, is proud to announce the successful LEED® certification of Stratford STEM Magnet School. A public school in Nashville, Tennessee, operated by Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, the facility can house up to 1,200 full-time students in grades 9 – 12. Last month, it received LEED Silver certification under the LEED BD+C: Schools (v2009) rating system from the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification program. Read more
Rockwall, Texas, November 14, 2013 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), a global engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) firm, is proud to announce the successful certification of Bimbo Bakeries USA’s (BBU) first LEED®- certified facility, a bakery and distribution center located in Rockwall, Texas. The project was a design-build endeavor, with SSOE Group and Turner Construction partnering to provide design and construction. The facility recently received LEED Silver certification under the LEED 2009 for New Construction rating system from the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification program.
BALTIMORE, Maryland, September 24, 2013 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), a global engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) firm, announced today that Jim Otte, NICET IV, Data/Fire/Security Specialist at SSOE, has been selected to present at the 2013 Secured Cities Conference taking place November 14-15, 2013 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland.
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, September 3, 2013 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), a global engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) firm, announced today that Jim Otte, NICET IV, Data / Fire / Security Specialist, and Sonny Hamizadeh, AIA, Senior Account Manager, both of SSOE, have been selected to present at the 2013 MAPPA/MiAPPA Educational Conference and Annual Meeting to be held October 27-31, 2013 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Otte and Hamizadeh will present a session focused on advancements in education security and learning technologies and how they are improving educational facilities, reducing costs, and increasing the safety, security, and learning environment of students.
TOLEDO, Ohio, February 18, 2013 – Approximately 40 students from five area high schools will get hands-on experience from a team of engineers when they spend part of their day at SSOE’s Toledo headquarters for the “Engineer for a Day” program. SSOE Group, a global EPCM firm (www.ssoe.com), and area firms are promoting entry into the engineering profession by participating in Toledo Engineer’s Week, taking place February 18-22, 2013. SSOE has been a part of the Toledo community for over 60 years and has grown to be the largest engineering and architectural firm in the region.
TOLEDO, Ohio, January 14, 2013 – SSOE Group, a global engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) firm, and Evergreen EDC, a multidiscipline engineering, design, and construction management firm, today announced a merger of the firms. The merger will expand both firms’ geographic reach as well as provide their clients access to enhanced services and resources. The merged entity will operate under the SSOE Group name after a brief transition period.
Phoenix, Arizona, July 25, 2012 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), a global engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) firm, announced today that David Gillespie, AIA, LEED AP and Jim Otte, NICET IV, Data / Fire / Security Specialist, both of SSOE, have been selected to co-present at the 2012 HEALTHCARE DESIGN Conference taking place November 3-6, 2012 at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
The presentation titled, “The Remote Control Hospital: The Future of Healthcare in the Age of Robotic Medicine” is focused on future considerations for telecommunications, robotics, and imaging. Attendees will learn about advancements in tele-medicine and remote control surgery and the impact these increasingly popular technologies have on healthcare planning and facility design. Gillespie and Otte will take a closer look at the design requirements healthcare facilities need to consider in order to support remote control technology.
ENGLEWOOD, Colorado, July 16, 2012 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), a global engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) firm, announced today that David Gillespie, AIA, LEED AP, and Jim Otte, NICET IV, Data / Fire / Security Specialist, both of SSOE, have been selected to co-present at the Health Facility Institute’s (HFI) 23rd Annual Healthcare Facility Project Development Symposium. The event will be held October 21 -24, 2012 at the Inverness Hotel & Conference Center in Englewood, Colorado. This year’s symposium will focus on “Technology and Innovation – The Future of Healthcare Facility Development”.
TOLEDO, Ohio, April 2, 2012 – SSOE Group, an international EPCM firm, announces the acquisition of CRS Engineering & Design Consultants, a 50-person mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering firm with offices in Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama. The acquisition will expand SSOE’s Southeastern U.S. presence, broaden CRS’s reach to international markets, and provide both firms’ clients access to enhanced services and resources.
CRS has been in business for over 36 years and is a multi-discipline engineering and design-consulting firm specializing in healthcare, government, higher education, and other institutional facilities. CRS offers services in electrical engineering, plumbing engineering, fire protection engineering, mechanical and HVAC engineering, lighting design, telecommunication design, and security system design.
Toledo, Ohio, January 23, 2012 – As economists debate the state of the economy and where it’s headed— SSOE Group, a U.S. – based engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) firm is thriving. In recent years, in the heart of what some are calling a mild depression, SSOE maintained profitability and earned its highest revenue numbers ever. In fact, in its 2011 fiscal year, it posted its largest revenue in the company’s 64-year history. This is proof that SSOE is demonstrating some of the growth strategies and simple shifts in mindset that other businesses will likely embrace in order to succeed in today’s economy. For SSOE, a priority in recent years is a shift in international growth, as indicated by the recent acquisition of NKS Design Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (also known as d-Tech) in Mumbai, India.
Toledo, Ohio, May 9, 2011 – SSOE Group will exhibit at the eighth Force Protection Equipment Demonstration (FPED VIII) on May 17-19 at the Stafford Regional Airport, Stafford Virginia. The biannual event is attended by leaders from federal departments and agencies, as well as selected state and local law enforcement and corrections agencies, and showcases the latest commercial-off-the-shelf security solutions. Read more